Page 478 - the-portrait-of-a-lady

sence of a marriage to be open to criticism. How well she
herself, should she only give her mind to it, might criticize
this union of her own! She had other employment, however,
and Ralph was welcome to relieve her of the care. Isabel was
prepared to be most patient and most indulgent. He must
have seen that, and this made it the more odd he should say
nothing. After three days had elapsed without his speaking
our young woman wearied of waiting; dislike it as he would,
he might at least go through the form. We, who know more
about poor Ralph than his cousin, may easily believe that
during the hours that followed his arrival at Palazzo Cres-
centini he had privately gone through many forms. His
mother had literally greeted him with the great news, which
had been even more sensibly chilling than Mrs. Touchett’s
maternal kiss. Ralph was shocked and humiliated; his cal-
culations had been false and the person in the world in
whom he was most interested was lost. He drifted about the
house like a rudderless vessel in a rocky stream, or sat in
the garden of the palace on a great cane chair, his long legs
extended, his head thrown back and his hat pulled over his
eyes. He felt cold about the heart; he had never liked any-
thing less. What could he do, what could he say? If the girl
were irreclaimable could he pretend to like it? To attempt to
reclaim her was permissible only if the attempt should suc-
ceed. To try to persuade her of anything sordid or sinister
in the man to whose deep art she had succumbed would be
decently discreet only in the event of her being persuaded.
Otherwise he should simply have damned himself. It cost
him an equal effort to speak his thought and to dissemble;

478 The Portrait of a Lady